Punching and riveting machine



Oct. 20, 1970 D. L. SWARTZ PUNCHING AND RIVETING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1969 6 Sheets-Sheet l *JNVEA-"IOR. DA l/ID L. SWARTZ M+QW ' ATTORNEYS Oct. 20, 1970 D. L. SWARTZ PUNCHING AND RIVETING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 5 1969 'ATTORNEYS Oct. 20, 1970 D. SWARTZ PUNCHING AND RIVETING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 5, 1969 INVENTOR. any/0 L. SWARTZ ATTORNEYS Oct. 20, 1970 D. L. SWARTZ PUNCHING AND RIVETING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 5, 1969 m vm r011 00 W0 L. swnR-rz 'roaLI/va LOWEQ TOOL/N6 TEA IN INDEX Y ,4 TTORNEYS A T TOPNEYS 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 R/VE T UPSET LWEMOR. oav/o 4. SWHRTZ Oct. 20, 1970 D. SWARTZ PUNCHING AND RIVETING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5 1969 Oct. 20, 1970 D. L. SWARTZ PUNCHING AND RIVETING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Feb. 5, 1969 ZNVENTOR. 0/; W0 1.. swn RTZ ATTORNEYS United States Patent "ice 3,534,456 PUNCHING AND RIVETING MACHINE David L. Swartz, Hamburg, N.Y., assignor to General- Electro Mechanical Corporation, Buffalo, N.Y. Filed Feb. 5, 1969, Ser. No. 796,807 Int. Cl. B26f 1/02 U.S. CI. 29-34 16 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for punching a row of rivet holes in workpieces and applying rivets thereto, there being a row of spaced punching and riveting stations. The apparatus comprises a bed and an overlying reciprocable punching and riveting mechanism. The bed includes a die means having alternate female punching dies and rivet head forming anvils, said die means being movable longitudinally to successively position the female punching dies and the rivet head forming anvils in coincidence with said stations. The overlying punching and riveting mechanism having a row of male punches and a parallel row of rivet bucking anvils, said rows of male punches and rivet bucking anvils being movable jointly transversely with respect to the row of punching and rivet forming stations to successively align said male punches and said rivet bucking anvils with said stations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In assembling sheet metal parts on a mass production basis the parts are commonly riveted and the holes for receiving the rivets may be drilled or punched. Drilling the rivet holes is feasible and practical when the rivet hole formation and the riveting are effected one at a time. When a considerable number of riveting operations, that is rivet hole formations and rivet applying and setting operations, are to be performed simultaneously the drilling method, involving multiple drills becomes unduly complicated.

We are concerned here particularly with producing riveted assemblies on a mass production basis wherein a group of rivet holes, usually in a row, are punched and rivets are then inserted in the holes and set. Conventional procedures of this class involve multiple handling of the parts for successively effecting the rivet hole formation and rivet setting or heading operations and also present special problems of work alignment and gauging as between the several successive operations. Furthermore, when joining two or more sheet metal workpieces by conventional punching and riveting methods, it is diificult to prevent some relative shifting of the sheet metal parts between the punching and riveting steps and this complicates the insertion of rivets through the holes of the several workpieces.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is particularly, although not exclusively, concerned with fabricating operations wherein multiple rivet joints are to be applied along a substantially straight line, a familiar instance of this sort being in the fabrication of sheet metal bodies for commercial vehicular trailer and semi-trailer units.

The present invention provides an apparatus wherein the workman locates the parts in the apparatus in a given position and then both the rivet hole punching and the rivet setting operations are performed successively without relocating the work and without any additional handling on the part of the operator, thus precluding relative shifting of the parts and greatly facilitating the insertion and head formation of the rivets.

This is effected by providing a lower platen member which includes a linear row of female die members for 3,534,456 Patented Oct. 20, 1970 rivet hole formation which alternate with rivet head forming anvils, so that a single longitudinal movement of the lower platen brings either the female die member or the rivet head forming anvils into registry with the points on the workpieces where the rivets are to be applied, hereinafter sometimes referred to as the rivet stations.

An upper carriage has a longitudinal row of male punches in longitudinal registry with the rivet stations and a laterally spaced row of rivet bucking tools which are likewise longitudinally in registry with the rivet stations. This upper platen is movable laterally synchronously with the longitudinal movements of the lower platen so that the male punches are in registry with the rivet stations when the lower female die members are likewise in such registry, the rivet bucking tools of the upper platen are in registry with the rivet stations when the lower female die members are likewise in such registry for rivet insertion, thus precluding misalignment, and the rivet bucking members of the upper platen are in registry with the rivet stations when the lower rivet head forming anvils are in such registry for rivet head forming.

In the form of the present invention set forth herein by way of example, the aforesaid carriage supports the male punches and the rivet bucking tools for vertical sliding movement therein, the carriage itself being movable transversely to align either the punches or the bucking tools with the rivet stations, but the carriage being fixed with respect to movements in a vertical direction. A vertically reciprocating ram overlies the row of rivet stations and is movable downwardly against either the row of male punches or the row of rivet bucking tools, whichever is in operating position along the row of rivet stations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a general front elevational view of one form of the punching and riveting machine of the present invention with portions thereof broken away and shown in partial cross-section for clearer illustration;

FIG. 2 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the machine of FIG. 1 taken approximately on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on a plane similar to FIG. 2 but on a much larger scale and showing the punching and riveting tools in an initial position;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken approximately on the line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIGS. 5 through are views similar to FIG. 3 but showing successive steps in the sequence of hole punching and rivet setting operation of the machine; and

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary elevational view taken similarly to FIG. 1 but on an enlarged scale and showing the right hand end of the lower hole forming and rivet head forming mechanism.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED- EMBODIMENT Referring first to FIG. 1, the general framework of the machine illustrated in the drawings comprises a pair of side frame members 10 and 11 which are rigidly connected by a crown member 12 and a bed member 13. A ram 14 is guided at its opposite ends against the facing surfaces of side frame members 10 and 11 for vertical reciprocation. The means for reciprocating ram 14 comprises toggle links 15 and 16, the former being fixed to a rockshaft 17 rotatably mounted in crown 12 and the latter being rotatable on rockshafts 18 carried by bearings 19 fixed to the opposite upper ends of ram 14. The opposite ends of links 15 and 16 are connected to each other by pivot shafts 20 and bearing members 3 21 which likewise connect with pivot shafts 20, are fixed to the piston rods of hydraulic operating cylinders 22 which are pivoted to the front of crown 12 by pivot shafts 23 mounted in bearings 24.

An intermediate longitudinally extending carriage 25 underlies ram 14 and is guided at its opposite ends for transverse horizontal movement by dovetail joints 26 which connect the opposite ends of carriage 25 to the side frame members and 11 for guided horizontal sliding movement in a direction from left to right as in FIG. 2. A hydraulic piston and cylinder mechanism designated 27 in FIG. 2 moves carriage transversely in its dovetail joint guides 26. Rigid horizontal plate portions 28 and 29 connect between the side frame members 10 and 11 directly above carriage 25 and are spaced as shown in FIG. 2 to provide operating space for the punching and rivet bucking members and ram 14. The details of the punching and rivet bucking members carried by carriage 25 will be described in greater detail later herein.

A horizontally extending bar 30 which is aligned with ram 14 is supported in a longitudinal slot in bed 13 and is slidably movable vertically and also longitudinally from left to right as viewed in FIG. 1 for purposes which will presently appear. A series of die blocks 32 are secured along the upper edge of bar 30 by screws (not shown).

The die blocks 32 and bar 30 are provided with alternate female hole punching die openings and drilled holes for receiving rivet head forming anvils, all of which will presently be described more particularly. The fixed assembly comprising bar 30 and die blocks 32 is reciprocable longitudinally to successively position first the die openings and then the rivet head forming anvils at the operating stations. Bar 30 and die blocks 32 are also movable vertically to effect work clamping operations during the rivet head forming step.

A pair of fiuid pressure cylinder mechanisms engage opposite ends of'bar 30 for moving the same vertically as generally shown in FIG. 1 and the cylinder of one such mechanism is designated 33 in FIG. 11 and is pivoted at its lower end to the bed 13 as at 34. Cylinder 33 has a 3 push rod 35 which is pivoted at its upper end to an end of bar 30 as at 36.

Still referring to FIG. 11, horizontal indexing movements of bar 30 are effected by means of a pair of fluid pressure cylinders 37 which are mounted on the side frames of the machine at opposite ends of bar 30 and have push rods 38 terminating in abutment members 39 which engage against opposite ends of bar 30 for effecting longitudinal positional adjustment thereof. Abutment members 39 have longitudinal bearing in members 40 which include adjustable abutment blocks 41 which accurately determine the longitudinal end positions of bar 30 in opposite directions.

As shown more particularly in FIG. 4, the upper surfaces of die blocks 32 are provided with a series of female dies 44 which are spaced at a pitch corresponding to the desired pitch of the row of rivets which are to be applied to join the workpieces. Intervening between the female dies 44 and likewise at the desired pitch of the rivets of the joints are a series of rivet head forming anvils 45. The rivet head forming anvils 45 comprise the upper ends of pins 46 which are slidably mounted in block 30 and have lower head formations 47. The head formations rest upon a longitudinal series of plate members designated 48 in FIGS. 1 and 2 which are vertically slidable in the same longitudinal slot in bed 13 which receives bar 30, as shown in FIG. 2. Plate members 48 have enlargements 49 along their lower edges, each of which overlies and is attached to a piston rod 50 of a hydraulic cylinder 51.

As shown generally in FIG. 2, carriage 25 is provided with a longitudinal row of male punches 53 and a parallel longitudinal row of upper rivet bucking members 54.

Male punches 53 and rivet bucking members 54 are provided with enlarged central portions which are guided for vertical movement in carriage 25 and the upper ends of coil springs designated respectively 56 and 57 engage against the lower ends of such enlargements and thus normally hold the punches 53 and bucking members 54 in the raised position illustrated in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 shows the row of male punch members 53 in longitudinal cross-section and it will be seen that these punch members are at the same pitch as the female dies 44. The bucking members 54 are likewise at this pitch and are individually in lateral or transverse alignment with the series of male punches 53.

In FIG. 4 the male punches 53 and the female dies 44 are shown in position for mutual punching cooperation. It will be apparent that longitudinal shifting of the bar 30 by operation of hydraulic cylinders 37 to register the lower anvils 45 in the positions now occupied in FIG. 4 by the female dies 44, and lateral shifting of carriage 25 to dispose the bucking members 54 in alignment with such lower anvil members 45 places the upper rivet bucking members 54 and the lower rivet head forming anvils 45 in registry at the rivet stations for mutual rivet setting cooperation.

Rivets are fed to the riveting mechanism by arms designated 60 in FIG. 2 which are oscillated to and from rivet supplying positions by means of hydraulic cylinders 61. The rivets are held by conventional spring fingers 62 and the rivet bucking members 54 force the rivets downwardly from the fingers 62 in an entirely conventional manner. The rivet feeding mechanism is only incidental to the persent machine and may take various forms. In FIG. 7 the rivet feeding fingers 62 are shown extending to the rear side of the machine but it is immaterial in which direction the rivet supporting fingers extend.

The operation of the foregoing apparatus is illustrated sequentially in FIGS. 3 and 5 through 10. In FIG. 3 the workpieces to be joined are designated A and B and are supported upon punch blocks 32, the latter and bar 30 having been raised by operation of cylinders 33. A combined stripper and clamp member 65 then moves downwardly against the workpieces, as illustrated in FIG. 5, and punch 53, in cooperation with die 44, punches a rivet hole through both workpieces. During this operation the punches 53 are disposed to the right from the position shown in FIG. 2 so as to be in longitudinal alignment with punch blocks 32 and ram 14 and the downward movement of the punches 53 and the clamp and stripper members '65 is effected by a downward stroke of ram 14 under the action of cylinders 22.

The punches and strippers then return to the position of FIG. 6 and carriage 25 moves laterally to the position of FIGS. 2 and 7 to dispose the rivet bucking tools 54 in axial registry with the punched rivet holes. At the same time cylinders 37 move bar 30 and punch blocks 32 longitudinally to dispose the rivet head forming anvils 45 in vertical registry with the punched rivet holes. This position of the parts is illustrated in FIG. 7.

Thereupon cylinders 33 again raise bar 30 and punch blocks 32 to the position shown in FIG. 8 to support the workpieces and ram 14 again descends to move the rivet bucking members 54 downwardly. This movement strips the rivets from the feeding fingers 62 and moves them through. the punched rivet holes to the position of FIG. 8 wherein the work is clamped between the bucking members 54 and the rivet heads, at the upper side, and the punch blocks 32 at the lower side.

Thereupon cylinders 51 operate to raise the blocks 48 which engage against the lower head formations of rivet forming anvil pins 46 to head the lower ends of the rivets as illustrated in FIG. 9. Thereupon ram 14 raises, bar 30 and die blocks 32 lower, and the work may be moved to the right as shown in FIG. 10 to position the same for forming the next row of rivet holes, all as shown in FIG. 10.

The foregoing sequence of operations is attained in a manner which is conventional and well known in machines of this general type, each movement of the operating instrumentalities being arranged to engage limit switches at the conclusions of such movements to actuate solenoid valves connected to control the supply of fluid pressure to the successive operating cylinders.

What is claimed is:

1. In a punching and riveting machine for applying a row of rivets to workpieces, a longitudinally extending bed having a row of alternate female perforating dies and rivet head forming anvils therealong, means for reciprocating said dies and anvils jointly parallel to said longitudinally extending bed to successively dispose said dies and said anvils to coincide with predetermined riviting axes, longitudinally extending means overlying said bed and having a row of male rivet hole punches and a transversely spaced row of rivet bucking members therealong, means for moving said rivet hole punches and said bucking members jointly transversely relative to said longitudinally extending bed to successively dispose said punches and said bucking members in coincidence with said riveting axes, and means for moving said punches and said bucking members toward said bed for effecting punching and rivet bucking operations.

2. A machine as in claim 1 wherein said rivet head forming anvils are movable upwardly to form heads at the lower ends of rivets disposed in the rivet holes formed by said punches and dies.

3. A machine as in claim 1 wherein said bed includes a clamp bar movable upwardly to clamp workpieces against said bucking members.

4. A machine as in claim 3 wherein said rivet head forming anvils are movable upwardly independently of said clamp bar to form heads at the lower ends of rivets projecting downwardly through the rivet holes formed by said punches and dies.

5. In a punching and riveting machine a bed having a female perforating die and a rivet head forming anvil, means for reciprocating said die and anvil jointly in a longitudinal direction to successively dispose said die and said anvil to coincide with a predetermined riveting axis, means overlying said bed and having a male rivet hole punch and a transversely spaced rivet bucking member, means for moving said rivet punch and said bucking member jointly transversely relative to said longitudinal direction to successively dispose said punch and said bucking member in coincidence with said riveting axis, and means for successively moving said punch and said bucking member toward said bed for effecting perforating and rivet bucking operations.

6. A machine as in claim 5 wherein said rivet head forming anvil is movable upwardly to form a head at the lower end of a rivet disposed in the rivet hole formed by said punch and die.

7. A machine as in claim 5 wherein said bed includes clamp means movable upwardly to clamp a workpiece against said bucking member.

8. A machine as in claim 7 wherein said rivet head forming anvil is movable upwardly independently of said clamp means to form a head at the lower end of a rivet projecting downwardly through the rivet hole formed by said punch and die.

9. A punching and riveting machine for applying a row of rivets to workpieces, said machine comprising a longitudinally extending bed, a longitudinally extending ram overlying said bed and supported for vertical reciprocation, and a longitudinally extending intermediate member between said bed and said ram for generally horizontal movement transverse to its direction of extent, a rail member supported by said bed for longitudinal movement and having alternate female punching dies and rivet head forming anvils therealong in a line forming a hole punching and rivet head forming line, said intermediate member having a row of rivet punches and a transversely spaced row of rivet bucking members, means for moving said intermediate member transversely to its direction of extent to successively align said punches and said bucking members with said hole punching and rivet head forming line, means for simultaneously moving said rail member to and fro longitudinally to alternatively align said die members with said punches and said rivet forming anvils with said bucking members, and means for moving said ram downwardly to engage said punches or said rivet bucking members, whichever are positioned along said forming line, to move the same toward said die members or said anvil members, respectively, for effecting successive hole-punching and rivetsetting operations.

10. A machine according to claim 9 including means for moving said rail member upwardly independently of said anvils to clamp the workpieces against said bucking members in advance of the operation of said head forming anvils.

11. A machine according to claim 9 including means for moving said head forming anvils upwardly to form heads at the lower ends of rivets in said rivet holes.

12. A machine according to claim 10 including means for moving said head forming anvils upwardly to form heads at the lower ends of rivets in said rivet holes.

13. A punching and riveting machine for applying rivets to workpieces, said machine comprising a bed, a ram overlying said bed and slidably supported for vertical reciprocation, and an intermediate member between said bed and said ram and supported for horizontal movement in a given direction, a member supported by said bed for horizontal movement at right angles to said given direction and having a female punching die and rivet head forming anvil along its upper surface spaced in the direction of movement of said last mentioned memher, said intermediate member having a rivet punch and a rivet head bucking member spaced in said given direction, means for moving said intermediate member in said given direction to successively align said punch and said bucking member with said hole punching die and said rivet head forming anvil, respectively, at a predetermined rivet axis, and means for simultaneously moving said bedsupported member to and fro to alternately align said die member with said punch and said rivet forming anvil with said bucking member, and means for moving said ram downwardly to engage said punch or said rivet bucking member, whichever is positioned at said rivet axis, to cause the same to engage said die member or said anvil member for effecting successive hole-punching and rivet-setting operations.

14. A machine according to claim 13 including means for moving said bed-supported member upwardly independently of said anvil to clamp the workpieces against said bucking member in advance of the operation of said head forming anvil.

15. A machine according to claim 13 including means for moving said head forming anvil upwardly to form a head at the lower end of a rivet in said rivet hole.

16. A machine according to claim 14 including means for moving said head forming anvil upwardly to form a head at the lower end of a rivet in said rivet hole.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 37,170 12/1862 Keith 227-58 2,216,403 10/ 1940 Deckl et al 2934 2,356,526 8/1944 Mayer et a1. 2934 A. R. JUHASZ, Primary Examiner Z. R. BILINSKY, Assistant Examiner U .8. Cl. X.R. 227-5 8 

